YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc, is reportedly in talks with major record labels to license their songs to AI tools that clone popular artists' music.
Sources familiar with the matter have revealed that YouTube needs the agreement of record labels to legally train AI song generators. To persuade more artists to participate, YouTube has offered an enormous sum of money to major labels Sony, Warner, and Universal.
Artist Reactions to AI Music Development
The use of AI in the music industry has faced opposition from many musical artists. In April, over 200 artists, including Jon Bon Jovi, Billie Eilish, and Stevie Wonder, published a letter voicing their worries concerning the issue of AI-generated music.
They argue that unchecked AI will degrade the value of their work and prevent them from being fairly compensated for it.
However, there’s also a voice of optimism from a few artists, such as Grimes and 3LAU, who have embraced AI technology, while a larger number express caution about its potential consequences.
Industry Response and Partnerships
The music industry has shown a willingness to protect its rights in relation to AI technology.
Recently, major record labels, including Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music, filed separate copyright infringement lawsuits against AI music generators Suno and Udio.
YouTube has formed partnerships with Universal and Warner to develop AI tools. These collaborations aim to incorporate AI-generated music into YouTube Shorts, the platform's competitor to TikTok.
However, Sony has not participated in these efforts, standing out from the crowd by opting out of having its content used in AI training.